Obituaries

Robert Laxson, age 74, of Jerico Springs, died Sunday, May 30, 2010, at St. John’s Regional Medical Center.   Robert was born September 8, 1935 at Brownsville, TX to Valentine and Sally (Strausburgh) Laxson. Robert is one of five children, with three brothers, Jimmy, Roy, and Ron, and one sister Jean. On June 14, 1958 he married Joyce Marie Fasching...

Billy Wayne Inman, age 86, of Lamar, passed away at 7:07 p.m. Sunday, May 30, 2010 at his home.        Billy was born March 31, 1924, at Independence, Missouri, the fifth of the six sons of Ralph and Anna (Hickman) Inman.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Billy joined the Merchant Marines, serving as a shipboard fireman/oiler during World...

Geraldine McWilliams, age 79, of rural Asbury, MO, passed away at 3:30 a.m.Sunday, May 30, 2010 at Via Christi Hospital, Pittsburg, KS ,after an extended illness.   Geraldine was born March 28, 1931 in rural Liberal, MO to Elmer and Madge (Collis) Dingman, and lived in the Nashville-Asbury MO area all of her life.  She was a member of the...

Francis E. Richter, age 88, of Lamar, died May 29, 2010.  He was born December 5, 1921 in Lamar, to Max Joseph and Alice Marguerite (Connolly) Richter.  After High School, he served in the United States Coast Guard.  On August 23, 1947, he married Mary Louis Kunkler and together, they had three daughters   Francis was the oldest living member...

Robert Lee Wineinger, age 74, of Lamar, passed away Monday, May 24, 2010, at his home after a two-year illness.        Bob was born March 13, 1936 at Vincennes, Indiana, to Murch and Inez (Fiddler) Wineinger.  After graduating from high school, Bob entered the U.S. Air Force and served for twenty years as an avionics instructor at various state-side...

Hester Lee Pickle, age 90, of Pittsburg, formerly of Lamar, went to be with the Lord Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Golden Living Center in Pittsburg, Kansas.        Hester was born May 3, 1920, at Summerfield, Oklahoma, to Elzie and Rosetta (Earls) Pickle.  Hester served in the U.S. Army and was a World War II veteran.  He was a...

Zetta May Combs, age 96, of Lamar, died May 10, 2010, at her home after a  short illness.          Zetta was born January 29, 1914 at Mountain Grove, Missouri, and was the only child of John Benjamin and Zetta May (Fleming) Stickney. She graduated from High School in Republic, MO and on May 22, 1938 she graduated with a...

Robert Edwin Haile, age 84, of rural Lamar, passed away Sunday, May 9, 2010 at Barton County Memorial Hospital.        Robert was born November 12, 1925, in Barton County, the oldest of the four children of Cleo and Ruth (Winter) Haile.  After graduating from Lamar High School, Robert entered the U.S. Army, serving in Germany during World War II....

Gerald Dee Gruver, age 66 of Lamar, passed away Monday, May 3, 2010 at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin.        Gerald was born August 27, 1943, at the family home in Nashville, Missouri, to Albert and Veda (Eberting) Gruver.  On June 21, 1963, at Liberty, Missouri, he married Susan Kay Fleet and they have made their home...

Jewell Gardner loved her Lord Jesus, her husband, her children, her family, church family and her friends.  She gave of her life with priorities based on these loves.   Jewell Joyce was born on a small family farm near rural Boston, Missouri.  There she played with sisters Irma Lee, Jean, Annetta and brother, Floyd and made a home with mother...

Mary Sweeney, age 81, of rural Lamar, died peacefully at her home, Monday, April 26, 2010.  She was born October 18, 1928 at Dudenville to Charles Harrison and Grace Edith (Casteel) Tubaugh Sr.  She graduated from Golden City High School.  On March 22, 1958, she married Bruce Everett Sweeney, at Carthage, MO.  Together, they had three children.   Mary was...

Brent Alan Rush, age 39, of rural Lamar, passed away Saturday, April 24, 2010 at Mercy St. John’s Hospital in Cassville.        Brent was born August 17, 1970 at Carthage, Missouri, to Charles “Butch” and Vickie (Gastel) Rush.  He graduated from Lamar High School in 1988, earned an associate’s degree from NEO, and attended Oklahoma State University.  In addition...

Daniel A. Kuhn, age 65, of rural Lamar, passed away Thursday, April 22, 2010 at his home.        Dan was born April 29, 1944, in Independence, Kansas, to Lloyd and Katherine (Dowell) Kuhn.  After graduating from Lamar High School in 1962, he earned an associates degree from Joplin Jr. College.  In addition to farming the family farm, Dan and...

Lucille Lenna Viers, 99, a long-time Barton County resident, passed away Thursday, April 22, 2010 in the Hospice Compassionate Care Center in Richmond, Kentucky.        Lucille was born May 30, 1910, in Estancia, New Mexico, one of the eleven children of Samuel W. and Lenna Leota (Allen) Hodgson.  She graduated from Lamont High School and had attended college.  In...

Bobby L. Crockett, age 79, of Lamar, died Saturday, April 17, 2010 at Freeman Hospital West after a short illness.   Bobby was born February 7, 1931 in Barton County to Barney and Hazel (Golden) Crockett.  He served his country as a soldier in the United States Army. On August 11, 1956, he married Velma Marie Loewe at Fair Play,...

Isabelle Lorraine “Belle” Gariss-Sherron was born January 10, 1926 to Arthur and Marie (Porter) Gariss.  She was reborn at the age of 15.  She went to be with her Lord on April 9, 2010.        Belle was a school teacher in many of the Rural Schools of Barton County, also in Golden City, Stockton, and Springfield.  She currently lived...

Dorothy Lee Breder, age 88, of Lamar, passed away Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at Barton County Memorial Hospital.        Dorothy was born February 9, 1922, at Bates City, Missouri, to Lee and Dora (Green) Graham.  On December 27, 1945, at Kansas City, Kansas, she married Oscar C. Breder and they lived in Denver, Colorado for several years before moving...

Katherine Virginia Shaw   Katherine Virginia Shaw, 85, of Normal, IL passed away Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal.  Katherine was born October 7, 1924 in Laredo, MO, a daughter of Vern Truman Beckner, Sr., and Martha "Mattie" Annin Cross Beckner. She attended school in Laredo and graduated from Laredo High School in 1942, afterwhich she...

Betty L. Kentner, age 90, of Lamar, passed away Friday, March 26, 2010, at Barton County Memorial Hospital.        Betty was born January 28, 1920, in Eaton, Colorado, the third of the five daughters born to Hayden and Grace (Moore) Sheppard.  At the age of five, she moved with her family to Barton County, attending grade school in Kenoma...

Billy Lee Hackney, age 78, of Liberal, passed away Monday, March 15, 2010, at Good Shepherd Nursing Home in Lockwood.        Bill was born July 22, 1931, in Moundville, Missouri, the third of the four sons of Zuber and Agnes (Dozer) Hackney.  A life-long area resident, Bill graduated from Liberal High School in 1949.  He was drafted into the...